For the past week, Facebook has been awash with no make-up selfies. You will now be looking at your colleagues, friends, bosses maybe even girlfriends, with new eyes, knowing now exactly how everyone looks first thing in the morning, albeit via the most flattering angle an iPhone camera can achieve.
This particular strain of selfie epidemic began with a photo posted by the US author Laura Lippman, who wanted to show solidarity with actress Kim Novak after she was mocked for her frozen expression on Oscars night. Her point was that women would do less drastic things to their appearance if natural faces were more accepted. This then somehow morphed into a global campaign for cancer awareness and women everywhere started snapping themselves post-shower and bare-faced, donating £3 to cancer research and then nominating more friends to do the same.
Posting a photo of yourself without makeup on is an odd way to raise awareness about cancer.
There is no direct link between the two and yet something about revealing our faces in their most gory of natural states to our friends and aquaintances has struck a cord with the world. Are we now so obsessed with appearances that ogling at how someone looks without their daily trowel-on is what it takes to get our attention about cancer?
Taking a few moments to make yourself feel vulnerable on Facebook is not a comparable experience to what a cancer patient goes through. Taken in flattering lighting, with your hair over your face and filtered via Instagram's rosy tints is not showing solidarity with people who loose their hair following a bought of chemo, or how you may feel after a major operation. It's pure narcissism. The thousands of people who omitted the donation information alongside their picture or who didn't donate their £3 are a testament to this. Needless to say this has got a lot of cancer sufferers backs up who are making no qualms about the fact they are completely infuriated and offended by the whole campaign regardless of the fact it's earned Cancer Research millions.
Last week one of my friend's nominated me to step up into the selfie spotlight. I opted to post this…
Which was partly due to the fact I was ill and had a swollen, red, flakey nose but also because I find the whole thing rather ludicrous and am not inclined to take myself that seriously, I hardly wear any make up as it is.
The whole campaign is indeed bad taste but to hell with it - Cancer Research have made over £2 million at the time of writing this.
Shouting about giving money to charity is not a good look. The sad truth is that all of us who can afford to, should regularly and quietly give £3 to charity without reminder, nomination, or motive. But we forget. We are only human. We are overloaded on a daily basis by chuggers, pop up ads and shock-tactic adverts. We are immune and our minds are locked in our own worlds and our immunity increases the cleverer the campaigners get. The no make-up selfie, for all it's strange motives has blasted through all these barriers and has probably cost Cancer Research no money whatsoever in campaigning. Shocking and nagging no longer works because most of us at the end of the day, unless we are directly effected by cancer, are more interested in ourselves.
Perhaps the no make-up selfie will go down in history as the most effective of all accidental fundraising campaigns and challenge the costly and ineffective ad campaign methods currently employed. As much as I may cringe at the idea, i'd much rather post a picture of myself sans war paint than get accosted by five chuggers with clipboards whilst on my way to the post office.
What are your thoughts on the no make-up selfie campaign? Did you partake?
Lucia April 1st, 2014, around noon
As it so happens, most of us humans are quite self-obsessed. It is just the way it is, and to a certain extent, I think that is a good thing. But, have too much of any “ingredient” and it no longer is a positive but rather a negative aspect of our personalities. I believe in balance of things and lately I tend to focus on “good,” positive aspects of a thing, a person, an event, etc. Obviously, things are never as simple as they may seem on a first glance.I do see an issue that people may have with this whole campaign, and I haven’t quite figured out my personal stance on this “campaign,” but if it has managed to do some “good” and is being used or will be used to help many other people then why not. I had experienced cancer at first hand almost three years ago. I had undergone a 5-week radio and chemo treatment, which was followed by two operations over the span of several months. It certainly was no fun, but I was probably one of the luckier ones fighting this illness, as the effects of it all were rather mild and were not reflected in my appearance (apart from being rather skinny and pale). So, I guess I can’t quite compare myself to those whose appearance changed greatly during the treatment and after the surgery(ies), in relating to them how this kind of self-focused campaign may affect them. But, I think it goes back to “ourselves,” to “myself” even when, or especially when we are experiencing something such as cancer. We need to focus on ourselves, we need to focus on getting better and feeling better no matter how small the “better” part is, as I believe the mind-set is a big factor in getting better. And although it should not revolve around the outside appearance, for me, even something as trivial as putting the make up on and (not necessarily hiding but) enhancing what I think is beautiful about my appearance before going to a treatment and getting complimented that I looked good from nurses and doctors was one of the mood boosts during that difficult time. There are certainly different ways to look at this campaign, and although I did not personally participate in it (as I already support Cancer Research throughout the year in different ways), I don’t feel in any way offended by it. But, then again, it is just my personal response and I can’t speak for other people suffering and fighting the illness.